Hop Hornbeam
Ostrya virginiana
The small tree for deep shade and dry, rocky ground where others quit. Papery hop-like seed clusters feed goldfinches through fall and winter.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The hop-like seed clusters, the fibrous bark, the dry-shade tolerance. hop hornbeam is the understory tree that makes the hard spots beautiful.
Hop hornbeam is the tree for the challenging understory where nothing seems to succeed. Deep shade, dry rocky soil, thin hillside soils: conditions that eliminate most other small trees are exactly where hop hornbeam performs. The distinctive hop-like seed clusters hang in pale green papery sacks through late summer and fall, a textural detail that makes the tree look like something out of a botanical illustration. Yellow catkins dangle in spring before the leaves emerge. The bark has a distinctive shredded, fibrous texture that catches light differently throughout the day. Songbirds eat the seeds through fall and winter. American goldfinches are particularly attracted to the seed clusters. This is a long-lived, slow-growing tree that anchors the difficult spots in a woodland garden without ever demanding attention.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown hop hornbeam propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 15–30 ft · 10–20 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Betulaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America
Care notes for hop hornbeam.
Part shade to full shade, dry to average soils. Extremely tolerant of dry, rocky, or thin soils. Once established, needs nothing. No pruning required. Deep taprooted. plant young. No fertilizing. One of the most truly low-maintenance understory trees in the eastern native palette.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside hop hornbeam.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.